Ugh00 cracjed toilet tank-- need to hunt down replacement

My tenant's toilet tank somehow developed a big crack down the front.
I didn't get a brand-- it.s a small one, the numbers 411 stamped inside I think.
It's about 16" wide and the tank bolt holes are about 5 1/2" on center.
What causes a tank to crack?
What chance do I have of finding a replacement tank??
Thx . . .

I'll answer both question with the same answer. Slim to none. Box stores sell cheap toilets and they change manufacturers frequently. Replacement tanks even if available would likely cost almost as much as a new toilet. You could epoxy the crack, but I seriously doubt that it would hold.

Sorry if we sometimes come across harsh; sometimes our BTDT knowledge just jumps across the keyboard! A large crack in porcelain could be OK for another 20 years. You could also come home tomorrow and find the tank laying on the floor and water running down the stairs. It's just something you cannot take a chance with.

Inside the tank, you should find a model number, and more important, a date. If it is older than 1992, it is probably not 1.6 gallon flush, and there will not be a replacement tank available that would either fit or flush. You will need a complete toilet.

Unless you see a chipped spot that would indicat it was hit with a hammer or something thrown at it, you probably cannot blame the tennant. Cracks like this do happen. It can be a manufacturing or instllation defect that was latent all these years and just lets go.

Thanks. I'm pretty sure the toilet is less than 4 or 5 years old.
It didn't really occur to me to blame the tenant (or at least I couldn't picture these tenants acting recklessly or neligently).
I just replaced the tank hardware and the wax ring on this toilet less than a month ago, so I may have been too rough with it.
I didn't think fixing the crack would be a good idea but it's not easy for me to
find, buy and transpost stuff so I though it might be a possible way to buy a few more days.
-h333

jimbo said:

Sorry if we sometimes come across harsh; sometimes our BTDT knowledge just jumps across the keyboard! A large crack in porcelain could be OK for another 20 years. You could also come home tomorrow and find the tank laying on the floor and water running down the stairs. It's just something you cannot take a chance with.

Inside the tank, you should find a model number, and more important, a date. If it is older than 1992, it is probably not 1.6 gallon flush, and there will not be a replacement tank available that would either fit or flush. You will need a complete toilet.

Unless you see a chipped spot that would indicat it was hit with a hammer or something thrown at it, you probably cannot blame the tennant. Cracks like this do happen. It can be a manufacturing or instllation defect that was latent all these years and just lets go.

Well, every time something happens I assume my local Ace doesn't have what I need, then I find out it has exactly what I need.
Picked up a tank for $40, carted it home on my bike trailer, and I'll be damned if I'm not going to try it. The bolt holes are the exact same distance apart . . .